LOTS OF EXCITING NEWS THIS WEEK. Tonight is our Art of the Table
event & I
am so excited for Q y V's dinner #2, back in action. Since I didn't take
the RSVP's this time, I have no idea of who's
coming! Surprise... Looking forward to seeing you, and the olive oil
cake with honey ice cream!

I worked late last night on bringing to life the previous newsletter
on my blog last night. Both this & last week's wines are readily available. Take a look
below & actually get to SEE the wines I've been talking about. We seem
to have misplaced our camera, but if you took some at Art of the Table or Gaudi, send them
along.

Oh & I almost forgot... This week I want you to
meet me somewhere different: Mobile Chowdown III !!!!!!!This Saturday we
have the opportunity to get down with the best food trucks of Seattle
& Portland. I could not be more excited. I talked with one of the
organizers, & they have agreed to let me hand off wine orders at
this food extravaganza. After my recent trip to Portland I am all about
the food truck scene & I can't believe it's happening here! Check
out the folks you've been hearing about like Marination Mobile, Skillet,
Whiffies. It's a dream come true. Bring
cash for the trucks...I take checks, cash, or credit card info (which I
can charge at home beforehand). The food fest starts at 10 am & goes
until at least 1 pm. There's free parking & here's a map & info on this ultra-foodie event.

Preheat the
oven to 250 degrees. Place the prosciutto in an ovenproof dish & dry
out in the oven for 30 minutes, until crisp, then crumble, & set
aside.

Heat the olive oil in a large pan. Add the onion &
cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes, until
light golden brown. Increase the heat to medium, add the celery root,
potatoes, leek, & nutmeg, pour in water to cover, & bring to a
boil. Lower the heat & simmer for 30 minutes.

Transfer the vegetables & cooking liquid to a
blender & process to a puree. Return to the pan, stir in the cream,
& season lightly with salt & pepper. Preheat the broiler.

Transfer scant 1 cup of the soup to another pan, add the
milk, & heat to just below boiling point, whisking with a hand-held
blender until frothy.

Broil the bacon for 2-4 minutes on each side &
reheat the soup, but do not let it boil. Ladle the soup into serving
bowls, top with the frothy mousse, sprinkle with the crumbled ham, &
add a slice of bacon to each.

_____________

THIS
WEEK'S QUESO Y VINO WINE RECOMMENDATIONSI
offer a 10% discount on whole or mixed cases, free delivery for orders
over $150, smaller orders will be conveniently & gladly delivered to
you for the nominal fee of $10. Start a buying club & I'll waive
the delivery fee! Ask me if you'd like to arrange a free
pick up at Saturday's
http://www.seattlemag.com/0p66ev1967/mobile-chowdown-round-iii/
Mobile Chowdown!!! or Sunday at the Ballard
Farmer's Market or the West Seattle Farmer's Market. We're usually there
from a window of 10:30 until noon depending on our order requests, and
can be around to meet you before or after your market shopping.

Marinada
2007, Vino de la Tierra de Castilla $6.99This
had always been one of my favorite cheapies, & I
am happy to say Marinada has a fresh look for
spring.Macabeo is akin to Spain's Pinot
Grigio, and almost always appears in a fresh, unoaked
style.For the money, it's hard to argue with juicy clean fruit
& a bargain basement price. I've sold this to many a customer who
was having a party, an event, or wedding, always with great results.
Juicy pineapple & guava, apricot, a touch of pie crust, with a
slightly salty
finish. Ahhh, the sun came out just writing about
it.

Don Tiburcio 2006, Mendoza $9.99This
is definitely the steal of the week.Bring on the
rub-your-eyes-at-the-price factor--I love direct imports so much. The
Benegas-Lynch family immigrated from
France & has one of the flagship properties in the Argentine wine
industry. Out of all the Benegas wines this one is
named after Don (the MAN!), Tiburcio Benegas, who started Trapiche &
founded the wine industry
in Mendoza, so you better believe it's good. A plush blend of Malbec,
Cab Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, & Merlot, this isBordeaux
beauty at South American prices.Sumptuous plump black cherry
juice & rolling currant liqueur, topped off with roasted vanilla
bean finish. My goodness this is wonderful for TEN BUCKS!!!!!

Chateau
de Pena Rivesaltes Ambre, Rivesaltes
$11.99This delicious & tres interessant wine
is hard to classify as it is recommended as an aperitif, with foie
gras, &
chocolate tart (not all at once) by the producer. That's a lot of
latitude! We will be serving this one tonight at Art of the Table with
olive oil cake & a sweet
orange compote-mmmm.A blend of Grenache Rouge, Grenache
Blanc, Grenache Gris
aged for 3 years in large French oak barrels. This comes from the
foothills of Corbieres in the heart of the Rousillon in Francce, but
is still culturally a Catalan area. Beautiful plump apricot jelly,
gingerbread & caramel, butterscotch & toffee, spiced bitter
oranges.Lightly nutty & smoky. A steal of a dessert wine that
doesn't have to be for dessert.Hazana Semi-Crianza 2007,
Rioja $13.99 This new Rioja tastes as good as it looks.
Hazana translates as a literary "heroic
feat" & that it is, a tasty Rioja with a
handsome price. This is made at Vinicola Real, with
its labyrinthine tunnels, where barrels age in the side of a mountain.
Everything else about this Rioja feels deliciously
modern. The semi-crianza is aged in new French
& American oak for 6 months, just enough to give backbone, but not
overwhelm the wondrous orchard fruit contained inside. Plums, spice
& earth circle the nose, roses on the palate, this is solid &
smooth with supple dark cherries. This is a new generation of Rioja not
to miss out on.

Didn't find your perfect wine this week? Go with a Specially
Selected Six-Pack!This has been such a successful way to serve
you that I say we shall continue this tradition, holidays or not. You
pick the theme and price level you want to pay & I'll mix and match
from my favorites in the cellar. Limited quantities, thoughtfully
selected.

On
my Madeleine blog, I have created a
tip jar (click on link upper left hand corner), and I hope if you get
something from my writing but don't want to order anything--maybe a
recipe idea for an upcoming dinner, or wine advice that you put to use
elsewhere--I hope you'll slip a couple of bucks in the jar from
time to time. It's like sending your pledge money to public
radio, only I don't interrupt the airwaves for a fund drive.Thank you
& enjoy!!!!!!

Comments

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